Key events
HALF-TIME: Manchester City 2-1 Aston Villa
City deservedly leave but Villa will be annoyed with themselves, having got back into the game after a dominant start from the hosts included an opener from Rodri. Durán, Villa’s goalscorer, has posed a threat on the rare occasion the ball has landed in the City half, but the champions remain in control thanks to Foden’s free-kick.
45+5 min: City desire a third before the break, staying patient before a ball is stood up for Álvarez to head from close range. Olsen tips it over.
Foden steps up for the free-kick and curls it in, with Olsen barely moving. Well, that’s not really the keeper’s fault – Villa’s wall broke open inbetween Konsa and Zaniolo, a space opening up for the City midfielder to comfortably find the target.
GOAL! Manchester City 2-1 Aston Villa (Foden 45+1)
And they’re back in front.
45 min: Douglas Luiz, on a yellow, commits a foul on the edge of the City box. He brought down Foden from behind but that’s surely not another yellow. The ref agrees with me.
44 min: Durán is back up and play goes on with Foden embarking on a mazy dribble into the Villa box … but City are frustrated once again, a free-kick given the other way.
43 min: Durán is clutching his head after colliding with Dias when trying to get on the end of a long punt foward.
40 min: Foden twists and turns on the edge of the box but is removed off the ball.
39 min: Álvarez shapes up for a shot … and hits it over the bar.
37 min: A top save from Olsen with his right foot against Álvarez before Grealish, driving forward, wins a free-kick on the edge of the box. Luiz gets a yellow for hauling him down.
36 min: Grealish continues to cut in from the left and opt against the shot … much to the annoyance of Ally McCoist on comms.
35 min: Durán does well to hold up the ball by the halfway line but goes down too easily and the ref tells him to get back up.
34 min: Grealish cuts back to Bernardo in the box whose own cross is blocked. Villa have every man behind the ball as City’s attacks are cut out.
32 min: Grealish’s fury has cost him: he receives a yellow card.
31 min: Grealish is furious after a foul is given against him, with Douglas Luiz the man on the floor.
30 min: Doku is felled after a fine turn but no foul is given and Villa break. They’re forced back by City’s retreat but a long ball finds Diaby on the right who can’t pick out a teammate with a low cross.
28 min: Villa’s backline is resolute as City look for an opening and Zaniolo does well to chest a Grealish cross back to Olsen.
26 min: Foden is dispossessed and Villa break, but Gvardiol puts in a fine challenge to halt their drive forward.
24 min: Grealish smashes a volley into the ground, and it goes wide of Olsen … though I think the keeper got fingertips on it. It’s given as a goalkick, though.
23 min: Doku shows off his quick feet on the right and fires in his cross, but Olsen does well to hold on.
It’s a wonderful one-two between Durán and Rogers, with the forward skipping into the box from the left-hand side and slotting in low past Ortega. Durán has been lively so far and that’s a fine finish.
GOAL! Manchester City 1-1 Aston Villa (Durán 20)
Hold up. Villa are back in it!
17 min: City have calmed down a bit since that opening goal … and just as I type that they explode forward, with Grealish looking particularly impressive down the left-hand side.
14 min: Out of nowhere Villa threaten, with Douglas Luiz playing a lovely lofted ball into the box, which Durán watches carefully before volleying first time … Ortega pulls off a fine low save. Seems like the Villa forward was offside anyway.
13 min: Digne launches a long throw into the City box, and it’s flicked on … but there’s no damage done.
VAR has a look at whether Doku’s offside – he ain’t. The goal stands and this already has the feel of a long evening for Villa.
GOAL! Manchester City 1-0 Aston Villa (Rodri 11)
All the action is in the Villa half, and the pressure tells. Foden slides in Doku on the right, who crosses the ball low into the box for Rodri to meet and smash past Olsen.
10 min: Rodri tries his luck with his left foot from the edge of the box, but he’s off balance as he hits it and doesn’t properly threaten Olsen.
9 min: There’s a bit of pinball in the Villa box but City are unable to get a shot off.
8 min: Foden and Álvarez stand over it … the former whips it in to the box and Olsen collects it with authority.
7 min: The electric Doku goes down on the right-hand side to win City a free-kick.
6 min: Durán clashes heads and is down for a bit, but fear not Villa fans – he’s back up again and ready to keep playing.
4 min: Lewis tries to slide in Foden but it’s just out of the desired reach of City’s No 47.
2 min: Douglas Luiz’s ball in is decent but dealt with. Grealish, against his former club, cuts in from the left and chips in a lovely ball into the box for Álvarez to hop on to, and he smashes the ball into the side-netting from a tight angle. A smart run from the City striker.
1 min: Digne pops a ball down the line for Zaniolo to chase on to and his cross is blocked out for a corner.
Peep!
Off we go, with Villa kicking off. Let’s play!
“Villa fan here in Philadelphia!” writes Tim Hyland. “Have been supporting them since ‘08-09. This has been a dream of a season. Strange lineup today, and though I get it, this looks an awful lot like kinda maybe hoping for a point but not even expecting that much.”
Ah, 08/09, the days of Martin Laursen, Ashley Young, Gareth Barry and co. Enjoy, Tim.
Dudes can literally just sit around and name old sports players and just have the best time.
— E.M. Hudson (@EMHudsonlives) July 15, 2021
“Despite the Pep talk, Haaland’s drop to the bench surely confirms what Roy Keane must have had insider knowledge about: Poor Erling will be an Accrington Stanley player by the start of next season!,” writes Justin Kavanagh. “Actually, methinks Mr. Keane is still extracting his vengeance on Pere Alfie with such slurs on the son. Without the bad language of old, at least, so he’s mellowing.”
Anywho, here’s one of my fave Keane clips. Why would you let the phone ring out? Roy’s right.
Michael Butler’s watching Arsenal-Luton by the way. Martin Odegaard’s opened the scoring, which amps up the pressure on City.
A reminder, too, that Villa are without the injured Ollie Watkins, who has 16 goals in the league this season. The man tasked with filling his space is Jhon Durán, this just his second start in the Premier League.
Martínez ruled out with illness
Ooops. Another loss for Aston Villa, with their star goalkeeper Emi Martínez ruled out due to illness. In comes Sweden’s Robin Olsen.
Plenty of changes for both sides then: Aké, Kovacic, De Bruyne and Haaland drop out of City’s XI. For Villa, Watkins, Moreno, Torres, Tielemans and Bailey are missing from the lineup that started in the win over Wolves.
The teams
Erling Haaland drops to the bench!
In the blue corner! 🩵
XI | Ortega Moreno, Lewis, Akanji, Dias (C), Gvardiol, Rodrigo, Bernardo, Doku, Foden, Grealish, Alvarez
SUBS | Carson, Stones, Kovacic, Haaland, De Bruyne, Gomez, Nunes, Bobb, Susoho#ManCity | @etihad pic.twitter.com/9lYty11XS8
— Manchester City (@ManCity) April 3, 2024
Man City: Ortega, Lewis, Dias, Akanji, Gvardiol, Rodri, Silva, Doku, Foden, Grealish, Álvarez
Subs: Stones, Kovacic, Haaland, De Bruyne, Gómez, Matheus Nunes, Carson, Bobb, Susoho
Aston Villa: Martínez, Konsa, Carlos, Lenglet, Digne, Zaniolo, Iroegbunam, Luiz, Rogers, Diaby, Durán
Subs: Tielemans, Torres, Moreno, Chambers, Gauci, Olsen, Kesler-Hayden, Bailey, Kellyman
Here’s some pre-game chit-chat, with Pep Guardiola bigging up his star forward after Roy Keane used those two dreaded words: League Two.
Speaking of Aston Villa’s previous visits to the Etihad, remember this? Madness.
Preamble
Hello, hello, hello and welcome to coverage of Aston Villa’s trip to the Etihad Stadium. It’s a battle between third and fourth, though both sides have different priorities: Manchester City are still in there for a shot at an unprecedented fourth consecutive Premier League title; the visitors are looking to extend their gap with Tottenham and set up Champions League football for next season.
It’s worth looking back at the reverse fixture between the two sides in December, when Leon Bailey scored the only goal to place City in a rare crisis: the defeat at Villa Park was their fourth league game in a row without a win. That proved to be a turning point, with the champions unbeaten since, their immaculate run keeping the prospect of a double treble still alive.
Villa are up against it, missing the threat of Ollie Watkins due to a hamstring injury, and with not much to reminisce about in these parts; they haven’t won a league game at the Etihad since 2007, when John Carew and Shaun Maloney scored in a 2-0 victory. Here’s Carew’s IMDB page if you’re wondering whatever happened to him.
Send me your thoughts, queries, book recommendations, darkest secrets, favourite Carew performance (only acting ones, please), whatever you fancy! Kick-off’s at 8.15pm BST.